Louisiana lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday that would reclassify abortion pills as controlled substances, NBC News reported.

Louisiana lawmakers have passed a bill that classifies mifepristone and misoprostol — medications commonly used for medical abortions —as Schedule IV controlled dangerous substances, according to NBC News. This decision aligns with Louisiana’s stringent stance on abortion, which is already illegal in the state except under very limited circumstances. The legislation, now awaiting further approval from the Senate and potentially the governor, has sparked debate between anti-abortion groups, medical professionals, and reproductive rights advocates.

Louisiana lawmakers approve a bill that would add two medications commonly used to induce abortion to the state’s list of controlled dangerous substances, making possession of the drugs without a valid prescription punishable by a fine, jail time or both. https://t.co/OdwYyTcrpS

— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 21, 2024

The bill’s passage in the state’s GOP-controlled House of Representatives by a 64-29 vote underscores the political divide on the issue. If enacted, the law would impose penalties of up to five years in prison for unauthorized possession of these medications, though pregnant individuals using the drugs for self-administration would not be prosecuted, the outlet reported.

Medical professionals are raising concerns about the broader implications of this bill. They pointed out that mifepristone and misoprostol have essential uses beyond abortion, such as in labor induction, miscarriage management, and the treatment of gastrointestinal ulcers, NBC News stated. Dr. Jennifer Avegno, along with over 250 other doctors, has voiced opposition to the bill, arguing that it misrepresents the safety of these medications and could hinder other critical medical treatments. (RELATED: Letitia James Sues Pregnancy Centers Over Abortion Pill Reversal Claims)

“They are safe and effective and they are not dangerous drugs of abuse to be on a schedule of a controlled dangerous substance list,” Avegno told NBC News. “From a medical standpoint, healthcare providers think this is bad science, and not well informed.”

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 26: Demonstrators gather in front of the Supreme Court as the court hears oral arguments in the case of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine on March 26, 2024 in Washington, DC. The case challenges the 20-plus-year legal authorization by the FDA of mifepristone, a commonly used abortion medication. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

The bill also introduces a new criminal offense called “coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud,” targeting individuals who administer these drugs without the consent of the pregnant person, with even harsher penalties if the pregnancy is beyond three months.

The introduction of this bill by Republican Louisiana state Sen. Thomas Pressly was influenced by a personal incident involving his sister, whose estranged husband was convicted of secretly administering abortion medication, NBC News reported. Critics like State Rep. Mandie Landry argue that the bill complicates access to essential medications for legitimate medical purposes, particularly in rural areas where storage requirements could limit availability.